Sports Leagues Try To Block New Jersey Sportsbetting

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

Legal representatives for the NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB filed a motion for summary judgment in U.S. federal court Friday, which seeks to permanently block the state of New Jersey from offering sports betting.

Lawyers for the sports leagues submitted a 92 page motion which claims that New Jersey's sportsbetting law contradicts the Federal PASPA law, which specifically outlaws sports betting in all but a few states.

The battle between the major sports leagues and the Garden State began in August, when New Jersey politicians passed the law which legalized sports betting at Atlantic City casinos and statewide horse tracks.

Commenting on the issue, NBA Commissioner David Stern said: “The one thing I’m certain of is New Jersey has no idea what it’s doing and doesn’t care because all it’s interested in is making a buck or two, and they don’t care that it’s at our potential loss."

“And wholly apart from the fact that a governor, who’s a former U.S. Attorney, has chosen to attack a federal law which causes me pause for completely different reasons since I’ve at times sworn to similar oaths about upholding the law of the United States."

If the motion fails, the sports leagues will attempt to obtain a preliminary injunction which would block any New Jersey gambling site from obtaining a sports betting license.

Representatives for New Jersey dismissed the motion as being frivolous.

Last week a federal judge gave the U.S. Attorney General's office until January 20th to interject itself into the case.

About the author

Dustin Jermalowicz // News Editor
Dustin Jermalowicz
Dustin has a long-standing passion for gambling. He has been writing professionally on the subject and breaking industry news for Casino Listings since 2011. His favorite casino games include Blackjack, Poker, and Hi/Lo. A proud native of Detroit, Dustin currently lives in Michigan.